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Friday, September 24, 2010

Chocolate Kiwi Popsicles - Simple Saturday

When I can cover something in chocolate and STILL know that it's healthy - I'm a happy gal!

Chocolate Kiwi Popsicles

If you're wondering how much fruit is really in these chilly snack bars, take a good look. It's literally a slice of kiwifruit that has been dipped in a very thin, but crispy coating of chocolate and coconut oil.

That's it. I could ramble on, but that's the recipe, period.

1) Kiwi - peeled and cut in 1 inch thick rounds, with a popsicle stick in each round. Freeze on a tray in the freezer.2) 1 cup Chopped dark chocolate and 1/2 cup Coconut oil - melted over a double boiler, then cooled to room temp.3) Dip each Kiwi-pop into the chocolate mixture (it will immediately turn crispy) and place on a tray to refreeze or pass around right now.I've had Kiwi in salads, and cakes, but when I received a box of kiwi from the Zespri Kiwi Growers (as part of a blogging program), my first thought was how much I wanted to keep the kiwi looking and tasting as true as possible.According to their reports, this year's crops are really sweet and yet still have their usual low glycemic index. That makes kiwi a great food for diabetic issues, weight conscious diets and low-fat, low-carb snacking.Here are a few facts that surprised me and made me want to keep eating those fuzzy little odd-balls.One serving of KIWI:

* contains the same amount of fiber as a BOWL of bran cereal.* contains the same amount of potassium as a banana* provides the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C

Now, as good as these popsicles taste - I'd really love to eat one of those kiwifruit while laying on the beach in the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. So, I'm entering Zespri's Kiwi-contest (a trip for 4 to New Zealand!) - which you can do also, just by the usual filling out name, etc and letting them know. Go check out the Great Kiwi Adventure site.

You don't have to buy anything, they obviously just want to get the word out about KIWI.Speaking of words, my teenage son (who thought he didn't like kiwi) was at a loss for words when he tasted these popsicles. He then passed them out to his friends and it was the most quiet this house has been in a while. Their mouths were full of Chocolate Kiwi Popsicles. Mmmm.

Gorgeous photos and what a wonderful idea1! Love the dipping chocolate, my daughter dipped bananas today, but the chocolate was a bit gloppy... love the addition of the oil, I think that will really help for next time. We will give these a try too!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments. This recipe has been enjoying renewed interest and I appreciate it so much. I do acknowledge that the term "Kiwi" is a shortened version of "Kiwifruit" and is often used in its shortened form in many countries. Thanks to all for stopping by and hope you try the recipe :D

Just made these and their delicious!! Do you know if the leftover unused chocolate can be kept at room temperature for a few days? Or do you have another advice to keep it because I didn't use all of it and it would be a shame to throw it away :( ...

Marie: The chocolate does stay well for a couple days just in regular temp. room in an airtight container/bottle. I've dipped other frozen fruits in this, too - or scoops of frozen ice cream or just drizzled it over ice cream and it's fantastic. Thx for stopping by. :D

What a great idea, I actually live here in New Zealand in the Bay of Plenty, surrounded by orchards of kiwifruit and orchards of Avocados. It is glorious to have this beautiful seasonal fruit available mostly free for us locals. I will be trying to out for the kids next they will love it

What a great idea, I actually live here in New Zealand in the Bay of Plenty, surrounded by orchards of kiwifruit and orchards of Avocados. It is glorious to have this beautiful seasonal fruit available mostly free for us locals.

What a great idea, I actually live here in New Zealand in the Bay of Plenty, surrounded by orchards of kiwifruit and orchards of Avocados. It is glorious to have this beautiful seasonal fruit available mostly free for us locals.

Gorgeous photos and what a wonderful idea1! Love the dipping chocolate, my daughter dipped bananas today, but the chocolate was a bit gloppy... love the addition of the oil, I think that will really help for next time. We will give these a try too! African Mango

Speaking of words, my teenage son (who thought he didn't like kiwi) was at a loss for words when he tasted these popsicles. He then passed them out to his friends and it was the most quiet this house has been in a while. Their mouths were full of Chocolate Kiwi Popsicles. Mmmm. film streaming

I agree, the photos are just as lovely as the recipe! Just to clarify, the coconut oil is in a solid form prior to adding it to the chocolate to melt? I was wondering if anyone was going to mention the other name of the Kiwi... Chinese gooseberry! (I think the New Zealanders just decided to name it after their bird.) My husband & son are in NZ now, touring Auckland University. Thanks for sharing this!

Hey augcott: thx for stopping by. It def works better and the chocolate is thin with a great crispness to it if you use the coconut oil. You can also use vegetable oil, but the coconut gives it a good taste. :D

Cathy, I stumbled on this recipe from a post on Step Into Health Wellness Centre Facebook Page. I agree with you that everything tastes better with chocolate.

I had some kiwi and chocolate on hand so I thought I would give it a try. I didn't have any popsicle sticks so I made mine as "Bites". I tend to like spices in my chocolate so I added cinnamon, turmeric and cayenne pepper. They were delicious. I think these might be a regular stable in my freezer. So much better than ice cream.

I posted my version on my blog at http://projecthealthyeverafter.com if you want to take a look and pointed them towards this original recipe. Thanks so much for posting.

Kids and Adults loved this one! So pretty, and tasty. We loved this idea so much, we included it in our best of froze treats round up: http://www.showfoodchef.com/2010/09/chocolate-kiwi-popsicles-simple.html

Thank you so much for an awesome recipe! I was wondering if I may please use a couple of your photos on my blog http://earthora.com and link to the recipe? I would really appreciate it! Thank you so much!